Thursday, June 26, 2008

COMMENTS: For the baseball fan on the go, or with a case of ADD, the White Sox can't be beat. Tuesday's game lasted all of 2:05, and last night's game clocked in at a breezy 2:22. Take in today's businessperson's special and you might be back at the office in time to make that 3 o'clock PowerPoint presentation. Just don't get any mustard on your tie!

Kershaw is winless in six starts but sports a nifty 8.07 K/9 rate, good for second among Dodger starters. He also has a slightly less nifty 1.55 WHIP and is averaging less than five innings per start, but patience is the key for those of us rooting for this rare talent. Some Stults-ian run support (the Dodgers have scored 12 runs in Stults' two starts) would be nice too.

Caribbean baseball: emphasis on good defense (that's why there are so many very good infielders from the caribbean countries), agressive baserunning where bunts and squeeze plays are very frequent, even in early stages of the game and using the middle order of the lineup.

But we have cheerleaders, people screaming sucio at the umpires (oh well, lots of screaming), they sell beers way long after the game is over, screaming political statements just because (this is since Chavez is ruling), people dancing african drums at the top of the dugouts, beauty queens who represent the team and their main goal is joining people to throw the first pitch, for example there's a guy who works for Leones del Caracas that goes to the mound while the national hymn with a Venezuelan flagged rubber glove and a flag, etc, etc. Every team has its quirks.

I hope you can. If you stay in Caracas, you should try a Caracas-Magallanes (if you get tickets), that's MADNESS. Then, you've got to see a Tiburones game. They have a group of fans, they all play percussion in games, they've doing that since the eighties, passed it on from fathers to sons. The stadium announcer will say: tiburones and everyone will answer "pa' encima", no matter if they are losing for a bunch of runs on the 9th.

The entertainment at Dodger Stadium is tame compared to that. On the big screen they put games and trivia contests, highlights and bloopers. Organ or blaring rock music. "Kiss Cam" and shots of the crowd.